30 Photos That Prove Chicago Is America’s Most Architecturally Stunning City

A walk around Chicago is an epic journey through the city’s flamboyant eras. You’ll be equally delighted by the Loop’s Art Deco skyscrapers, the exciting spots recalling the Jazz Age, or the “gangster” feel of the 20s that still pervades some of the city’s culturally diverse neighborhoods.

Photo by Stephen Walker

Then, there’s the stunning Chicago Riverwalk, the award-winning 150 North Riverside, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, a masterpiece of the Prairie School – the first architectural style uniquely American.

Although founded in 1837, Chicago’s thriving evolution began after the Great Chicago Fire, a conflagration that devastated a large part of the city in 1871. The refurbish period endowed the Windy City with the world’s first modern skyscraper – Home Insurance Building (1884), a trend which later spread across the globe.

Nowadays, America’s third largest city is also one of the most spectacular in terms of design, urban planning, and architecture, with everything from marvelous parks and historic landmarks to undulating sculptural towers and some of the most beautiful churches in the United States.

Until you get a chance to see it in person, marvel at these photos that show some of the best architecture in Chicago: